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I wanted to like this book. Really, I did. It has an interesting concept that only became obvious in retrospect how similar it was to the plot of the Orphan Black TV Series. Not saying they’re related in any way, but maybe Clones have become the new Vampires or Zombies: trendy afflictions that readers quickly understand and flock to. It’s a plot device that somehow hooks fans based on...

Recently there has been a resurgence of “dirty sci-fi,” a sub-genre that puts the emphasis not on technology but on the everyday people using it. Films like Looper, Inception and the less heralded Primer all deal with complicated concepts at a more workmanlike level. Ed Brisson and Michael Walsh’s Comeback is such a story. This twisting sci-fi tale centers around ReConnect, an organization that sends agents back in...

When DC Comics first started their New 52 re-launch, one of the most highly hyped books in the line was Action Comics, originally by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales. At that point, it had been a few years since Grant Morrison had written the almost universally-acclaimed All-Star Superman; a timeless Superman tale, which managed to bring a silver-age sensibility to the character in a one-off adventure, set in the...

When Avengers Arena was first announced as part of Marvel Now! I remember being extremely disappointed by the very premise of this book. To start with, Avengers Academy was being cancelled, and ostensibly replaced by this new book, starring a variety of Marvel’s younger heroes. But the heroes featured in the book were to be part of a Hunger Games/Battle Royale-inspired concept, whereby the classic (yet silly) villain...

If you’re looking for caped crusaders, Strange Attractors is not the book for you. If you’re looking for an intelligent mystery that blends near-probable scientific theories a la Dr. Ian Malcolm of Jurassic Park, with an unabashed love for New York City, then you’re in luck. Strange Attractors is a fascinating read through and through, presenting high concept theoretical physics to readers in a way that's...

Anyone familiar with Manga at all has undoubtedly heard of Cyborg 009 by Shotaro Ishinomori. With an initial run of almost two decades starting in the ‘60s, it quickly became one of the most popular series of that era, leading to several animated films, video games and even a few radio shows to boot. This may be an impressive legacy, but it’s one that is not commonly known outside...

It’s common for Marvel and DC Comics to time new trade paperback collections with the release of new films for their licensed properties, so it’s not a surprise that we’re starting to see numerous new Superman collections hit the shelves now that The Man of Steel is just a month and a half away. What is a surprise, however, is this particular collection, which brings together this ostensibly...

Since Mark Waid took the reins of the rebooted Daerdevil title, the stories have felt much fresher than those that came directly before it, as the entire tone and sensibility of the book and the character have changed. It’s a pleasant change after years mired in a crime noir sensibility, which although immensely entertaining, felt like too much after a certain point in time. Mark Waid has managed to...

There are times when Marvel’s aggressive trade paperback program feels like it’s getting ahead of itself, and such is the case for X-Factor in March, as it sees the release of not one but two trade paperback collections. Volume 19, Short Stories, collects issues #246-#249, as Peter David continues to explore the fall-out from the prior storyline, Breaking Points, as well as setting up the climactic Hell on Earth...

Hawkeye is without a doubt one of the strongest books currently being published by Marvel Comics. It’s a superhero book that never feels like one, as it takes the Avenger Hawkeye and tells a very street-level tale, full of humour and pathos, of bad decisions and good intentions. Matt Fraction’s take on Clint Barton is that of a well-intentioned screw-up, who routinely finds himself in some dangerous and ridiculous...

When DC relaunched its entire comic book line in September 2011, one of the clear standouts at that point in time was Batman, written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo. Snyder was coming off of the well-received Batman: Black Mirror and Batman: Gates of Gotham storylines, and looked to shake things up with his appointment as regular writer of the re-launched Batman title. Snyder didn’t disappoint, as...

If nothing else, X-Factor is one of the most consistently enjoyable books currently being published by Marvel Comics, as it has a consistent tone and style, much of which comes from being written by a single writer throughout its entire existence. Peter David uses X-Factor as his own personal sandbox, to tell fun, enjoyable stories about a group of characters that he clearly enjoys writing...

One of the most successful and notable Captain America takes in the character’s history is also one of the most recent, comprising Ed Brubaker’s landmark run on the character which started in 2004. His run started with the introduction of the Winter Soldier character, which revealed that Bucky Barnes had never died, but instead was still alive in the Marvel Universe. The impact of that revelation and the character’s...

Sometimes in the comic book industry it doesn’t matter how well-written or illustrated a comic book is, it ultimately comes down to sales and editorial, and if editorial decides to go another way and the sales aren’t strong, it can quickly be the death-knell for a comic. That seems to be what happened with Punisher under Greg Rucka. Greg Rucka set out to tell a very different Punisher story,...

  Having never pored through the pages of the quirky Madman comics (courtesy of the quirky brain of Mike Allred) I wasn't quite sure what to expect from It Girl and the Atomics. However, judging from the cover art of the witty direction heralded from the beginning of the story, I should have been able to foresee the bold and hilarious superhero tale unfolding within. It's...

Over the past few years, Papercutz has steadily and consistently been reprinting Peyo’s original Smurfs comic strips, which launched an empire of figurines, plush toys, a highly successful cartoon series and a feature film. I for one have really been enjoying these stories, as the reproductions are well handled; the volumes are cheap and inexpensive, and go on your bookshelf quite easily. They are charming, fun stories, and it’s...

Marvel Comics’ collections department is a fairly well oiled machine at this point, and when Marvel movies are on the horizon, they smartly time a number of releases to hit the shelves in and around the release dates of new films. This collection is one such example of new Iron Man collections hitting shelves over the next few months, leading up to the much-hyped release of Iron Man 3....

Despite DC’s New 52 wiping out most of DC’s established continuity, DC has continued to put out trade paperbacks collecting its now defunct storylines, with this particular collection feeling like it’s coming out way too late. In many ways this compilation, which originally ran in Superman #204-215, was a project meant to capitalize on the phenomenal critical and sales success of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s Batman: Hush ,...

Prior to reading this collection for CG Magazine, I have to admit that I had never before heard of these Tales From Beyond Science. Originally published in 1992 by 2000AD, Mark Millar, Alan McKenzie and John Smith wrote these eight assorted stories, which all follow the same storytelling structure. These Tales From Beyond Science are introduced by the same character in each instalment, Professor Hilary Tremayne, in a very...

This volume is the newest collection of Jonathan Hickman’s brilliant FF series, collecting issues #12-16. This is not the most accessible of stories, however, as it’s steeped in continuity, as it reaches the conclusion to the mega story that Hickman started writing and putting together when he wrote the Dark Reign: Fantastic Four mini-series, just prior to taking on writing chores for the Fantastic Four. Unlike the first two...